Ostensibly the parents’ response to new math standards included in the federal Common Core curriculum, the check included a convoluted equation instead of a clear amount. As Western Journalism has previously reported, even those formally trained in mathematics find the process being taught in many U.S. schools to be convoluted and unnecessary. Frustration over these new standards obviously resonated with many who saw the social media image.

@BillClintonTHOF Nothing else depicts the decline of reason/wisdom in this country as much as this insane initiative. Mind-blowing. — Lore Meltzer (@loremeltz) September 18, 2015

A number of IJReview readers had some thoughts after seeing the story on that site. While some acknowledged that the new math methods might suit some students’ learning style, most felt they only make teaching – and learning – the subject more difficult. “When you are in the grocery line, or restaurant,” one commenter wrote, “trying to figure out taxes or extras, are you really going to draw all those little boxes, make a column of numbers, and go … through an elaborate process of a quite simple math problem[?]” Do you support Common Core? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.